Lonely
by WickedgreenPhantom
Summary: Jack knows all about loneliness and depression, the way it hurts, the battle against ones own mind. So when he sees a beautiful girl in his support group he becomes intrigued, curious to know more. Can he reach out to her in time or will it be too late? *Sensitive subject warning*


Loneliness and depression, two things that Jackson Overland Frost knows far too well. They have plagued him for years, hanging around like a dark cloud that shifts long enough to let the sunlight in and to bring hope for clearer skies, only to come back to remind him that he can never fully be rid of the darkness.

He remembers the first time that he saw her at the support group, the very same group that his mum had forced him to attend. His first thought was that she was too beautiful, too flawless to be depressed. Girls who look as perfect as her should not be attending groups for depression. He remembers mentioning it to his mum, telling her that he'd seen an angel and that she shouldn't be sad. His mum had scolded him, reminding him that depression could affect anyone, regardless of their appearance and that just because someone may appear to have it all together, it didn't mean that they weren't suffering or fighting their own hidden battle.

The following week she attended the support group again. Jack noticed that she chose not to wear a sticky label with her name on. He wasn't surprised that she had chosen not to. For a lot of new members revealing their name was a personal thing, an action that often led to questions, or gentle probing into the reasons that had led them to seek group help. It had taken him three weeks to reveal his name to the group and it had been at that point when he'd resigned himself to attending the meetings.

Jack couldn't help but watch her over the course of the hour. She was beautiful and sad and she fascinated him. He watched her as she nervously tugged at her long sleeves whilst listening to the tales of those brave enough to share their struggles and he noticed the way she would give the speaker the briefest of eye contact before she hung her head again.

Week three comes and this time the angel is wearing a name tag. A simple sticky tag with the name Elsa written in tiny, neat writing, so different to his own large, messy handwriting. He smiles and thinks to himself how her name is as beautiful as she is He's never met an 'Elsa' before, but for some reason the name suited her. She still doesn't talk, but she catches his gaze briefly and smiles at him, a shy, fleeting smile before she drops her gaze and looks away, wrapping her arms around her tiny waist.

Four weeks into Elsa joining the group and Jack no longer dreads going. Instead, he looks forward to the group meetings. Not only are the lessons he's learning starting to sink in and he's feeling good, but he also has a chance to study Elsa. He finds her fascinating and beautiful, she is an enigma to him and he wants to know more.

She's still not said anything to him although she has switched seats and has taken the chair next to his where she gives him a shy smile when he sits down. He watches as she pulls out the book of positive affirmations that the group leader gives to all members. His eyes fall on the small snowflake sticker she has stuck to the top left corner and he wonders if she finds solace in the beauty of winter like he does. She catches him staring and gives him a small smile before running her finger over the sticker.

Elsa's been attending his group for five weeks now and whilst she still hasn't said anything, Jack's starting to notice the small things about her. He notices the way she keeps to herself, saying nothing more than 'Hello' and offering a polite nod. He sees the way she always gives eye contact to the speaker, the only time she doesn't is when someone meets her gaze- then she drops it and looks down at her feet. He sees the way she sits with poise, her back straight, legs neatly tucked under, but her arms are wrapped around her waist, hugging the book of positive affirmations to her chest almost as if she's scared someone will take it from her. She continues to take the chair next to him again and he wonders if it's because she's comfortable with him or if it's just by chance, either way, he likes it.

Six weeks into Elsa joining the group and Jack's starting to feel better. The tablets his psychiatrist has prescribed seem to be doing their job and he thinks that finally he's found the dosage that works for him. He's also caught up on his sleep, which has helped. Slowly he's made changes in his personal life, starting with walking the dog every day. At times he has to force himself out the house because he'd prefer to stay curled up in bed, but once he's outside it's okay, besides his dog always seems so happy to be outside and that happiness is infectious.

He contemplates quitting the group but his mother refuses and tells him that he still has lessons to learn. She's seen this cycle before, it's a period of happiness in amongst the sadness and she wants to see him learn to cope with the dark days. She says it's the happy days, the positive days, when Jack must make more of an effort, just so he can be prepared to fight his mind on the darker days.

Elsa's been coming to Jack's group for seven weeks now and always takes the seat next to his. This time she greets him by name which startles him. He asks her how she knows his name and she lets out a faint giggle and points out that he's wearing a name tag. Blushing, he looks down and realises she's right, his name tag is right there, sitting above his left chest. He shrugs, telling her that his mind was distracted and he was too caught up with thinking about all the work he has to do when he gets home. She smiles at him and whilst it's a nice smile he thinks it'd be prettier if it reached her eyes.

By the ninth week, he's learnt a bit more about Elsa. This week she actually spoke in group, telling the small crowd that she's a 'Monster' and that she hates herself. The rest of the members all nod, offering her a weak smile. Jack knows that they want to reach out and tell her she's not a monster, but they can't, not yet. She needs to express herself, it's part of the healing process and so they sit patiently and wait for her to say something more, but she doesn't. Instead, an older man speaks up, recounting his own battles and shifting the attention away from Elsa. Still, Jack's eyes are focused on Elsa, noticing the lone tear that has fallen from her eyes. He wishes that he could lean over and wipe the tear away, because a girl as beautiful as Elsa should never shed a tear, but he can't, so he reaches in his pocket to pull out a small packet of tissues and offers one to her.

It's not until the tenth week when Jack sees the first 'real' smile from Elsa. He's outside waiting for his mum to pick him up when he notices a girl with strawberry blonde hair arrive to pick Elsa up. The girl is heavily pregnant and very very loud. Her happy voice reaches Jack's ears. She is eagerly talking about having her last appointment prior to giving birth to the baby, and a 'Kristoff' who became queasy when asked if he planned to cut the placenta cord. Jack finds himself smiling at the girl's happiness. He notices the way Elsa's face lights up as she gently places her hand on the girl's bump. A few seconds later and she's removed the hand and is giggling softly. He laughs, watching as the pregnant girl pretends to scold her bump, telling the unborn child to not kick her Aunt Elsa. By the time Elsa slips into the car he has learned that Kristoff is the brother in law and the girl is her sister Anna.

Jack's had a challenging week. A few days have proven tough and he's had to fight his inner thoughts to remind himself that he's had plenty of bad moments in the past and each time he has survived. He hopes that by the time he gets to group he will feel better. If not he'd at least have the chance to see Elsa.

His mind is now officially stuck on Elsa. Now that he's seen her smile it's become clear what his mission is. He is bound to find a way to make her smile and to show her that she is not the monster she claims to be. He wants to give her hope and also to present her with a small gift.

He had been cleaning out his bedroom the night before and had found a snowflake pendant that he didn't know he had and it reminded him of her. He'd looked at it and decided that he would give it to her. He hoped that she won't think him weird, after all they've only 'known' each other for a short time and they did 'meet' in a depression support group. Still, his intentions are pure. Whilst he'd like nothing more than to form a friendship with her he's wise enough to move slow so that she can feel safe and secure.

He feels hopeful for the first time in almost a week when he slips into the hall. His eyes fall on the chair that Elsa normally sits on, noting that it's empty which is weird because she's always punctual. Frowning, he takes his seat. He slips his hand into his pocket and holds the pendant all the while praying that she's okay. The session continues and people act like normal. They are all too caught up in their own lives to notice the angel that is missing.

Jack tries to pay attention, but he can't because he's filled with concern for Elsa. He shakes his head as he gets ready to leave. He's being silly, he'll see Elsa the next week and it will be fine. People miss sessions all the time, for doctors appointments, inability to get there and it's entirely possible she had another engagement.

Jack smiles, remembering the way her pregnant sister had come to pick her up and he wonders if the baby had been born. He finds himself curious about Elsa's family. He knows from what he overheard that the baby is a girl which is nice. Elsa would love having a little niece to dote on. He knows without a doubt that Elsa will be the world's best aunt and her niece is going to love her.

Jack bursts into the hall for the twelfth week of Elsa attending. Luckily he'd remembered to slip the snowflake pendant into his pocket and was ready to give it to her. Again, he noticed that she's not there and he's worried, but he reasoned with himself that her sister may have given birth. It had been obvious to him by the way her face had lit up that Elsa and her sister are close. He hopes that the baby has been born and that Elsa is enjoying being an aunt. He leaves the session certain that it will be lucky week thirteen and he can finally give Elsa the pendant.

Week thirteen comes and Jack's running late. He had to catch the bus and traffic was awful. He's out of breath by the time he bursts in the room because he sprinted from the bus stop to the hall, eager to give Elsa the pendant. His eyes fall on the group and he notes the way they are eerily quiet and there's no sign of Elsa. He can feel a lump forming in his throat as he gives a small wave before taking his seat. Something is wrong, he can tell.

Jack skips the fourteenth week. He's had the week from hell and he doesn't want to be there. His mum has been supportive and has allowed him the time to grieve. He's asked for silence in the hour that he'd normally spend sitting beside her. Instead of passing the pendant into her hands, he's slipped it inside a light blue balloon with her name written on it. He watches as the balloon floats into the sky. He cries and buries his head on his mum's shoulder. He tells her how he wished he'd said something earlier, but he didn't.

**A/Note- Argh- I'm really sorry to do this. I'd like to say at the end of this, if you EVER feel low, PLEASE reach out, tell someone. Don't feel like you have to bottle it up, there is always someone who cares. **


End file.
